I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to equipment to assist a mobility impaired patient to be moved, and more particularly to a device for rotating or repositioning a mobility impaired patient while in bed and for maintaining a variety of positions with little or no assistance from medical personnel. It features a cuff or corset positioned about the patient's torso and/or hips and a pair of straps joined to a power take-up apparatus. As one strap is retracted by that apparatus, the other is released, enabling the mobility impaired patient to be rotated and/or shifted laterally on the bed surface.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
Patients are mobility impaired for a wide variety of reasons, all of which render the patient dependent upon caregivers for manual assistance in changing their position in bed. These patients live in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospices, and their own homes. Whether due to disease or accident, these patients share the misfortune of an inability to move effectively in bed for their own comfort and to avoid developing decubitus ulcers. Regular, periodic movement of these patients by their caregivers is, thus, necessary, but it is a laborious task for the caregivers. Frequently, it requires that two or more aides manually lift the patient, resulting in a concomitant risk of back-related injuries in the caregivers. Furthermore, in many medical settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes, the task of repositioning a patient is time consuming, thereby reducing the time available for other patient care needs. Various prior art approaches for mechanically turning a patient have generally included either turning the patient or turning the bed on which the patient lies.
Numerous mechanized devices are available which turn a patient utilizing movement of an underlying soft, flexible material. All are mechanized variants of the turning sheet and pad positioned underneath the patient that was commonly used at the beginning of this century. When it became necessary to turn the patient, a caregiver would pull at the edges of the turning sheet and a frictional engagement would cause the patient to be rolled on the pad, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,334,901, issued to Higdon. More recent variants of this apparatus utilize essentially the same principle, but have substituted a mechanized force for that exerted by the caregiver.
An example of an apparatus for turning a person confined to a bed is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,169, issued to Persson. This apparatus includes an adjustable frame which is applied to a bed. This frame supports selectively rotatable rolls positioned at the level of the bed mattress, which are connected to an electric motor. A draw sheet extends between the rolls, across the upper side of the bed and is wound on both rolls. The patient lies on top of the draw sheet. When an electric motor is turned on by a patient or nurse, the draw sheet is pulled in the preselected direction, and the patient is turned by friction produced between his body and the sheet. The efficacy of the turning force produced is dependent upon several external factors, including the size of the patient and the texture of the fabrics comprising the draw sheet and patient apparel. A more predictable and controllable turning mechanism is, therefore, desirable. Additional drawbacks to the device just described include its bulkiness, which tends to obstruct patient care and also obstructs patient transfers into and out of the bed. Special linens are also required and would need to be changed frequently in cases of incontinence. Because of the roller mechanism, changing linens is a time consuming chore.
Alternatively, the bed assembly itself may turn and deposit the immobilized patient onto a separate mattress. An example of a turnover bed assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,089, issued to Grow. The assembly includes a mattress which is movably supported on a rotationally movable carrier frame. An invalid who is lying on the lower mattress, and who wishes to change position from face down to face up, or vice versa, is strapped by a caregiver to the mattress upon which he presently lies. Then, upon engagement of the controls by the caregiver, the assembly is rotated one quarter revolution. The mattress upon which the patient had been lying is secured for movement towards the opposite mattress, then a succeeding quarter turn positions the patient in the desired new position on the opposing mattress. The mattress upon which the patient had previously been lying is then retracted on its support rails. The dual mattress apparatus is very bulky and quite expensive. Also, it has limited utility, since the patient is either deposited face-up or face-down. To shift a patient to one side or the other still requires manual intervention by the caregivers.
Yet another variant of an apparatus for positioning bed-fast patients is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,226, issued to Lonardo. This apparatus includes a rectangular bed pad which dwells on the bed surface and extends at least from above the shoulders of the patient to a point at least below the hip areas. It is fitted with a pair of straps which are secured to the pad and extend transversely across the pad in substantial alignment with the shoulders and hip areas of the patient. Various straps are attached to the pad to effect movement of the patient into a preselected position by pulling at the straps. This device is not mechanized and relies upon the caregiver to pull on handgripping loops which are positioned at various points in the straps. These loops may be latched onto specially designed receptacles on the rails of the bed to maintain the patient in a desired tilted position. Thus, the patient is once again positioned by manual effort from caregivers, which is strenuous and time consuming and may lead to back injury and insurance or worker's compensation claims. Consequently, it frequently occurs that patients are not turned as often as they should be, which results in serious health problems, such as bed sores.
It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus to reduce the manual effort required of caregivers by providing a device which will predictably and easily manipulate the positioning of a mobility impaired person in bed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for positioning patients which may be operated by a single caregiver or by the patient.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for positioning patients which is not uncomfortable or painful to the patient as his position is shifted.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus which is low-cost and easy to install on existing bed equipment.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method for safely turning a mobility impaired patient using a patient corset operatively coupled to an electric motor or other suitable drive mechanism.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for turning a mobility impaired patient which does not require bulky equipment, hence it is not obtrusive and does not interfere with patient care or with transferring the patient into or out of bed.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for turning a mobility impaired patient that does not require the use of specially designed bed linens or draw sheets.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for turning a mobility impaired patient that utilizes existing hospital beds and standard retractable bed rails, wherein the bed rail or a detachable bed rail guard serves as a passive roller.